Australia heatwave live updates: Victorian bushfires raze scores of properties as new warnings issued; temperatures climb in Sydney
Three people reported missing after house destroyed in bushfire have been found safe
Three people who were reported as missing have been found and are safe, the Victorian premier, Jacinta Allansays.
We are grateful for everyone for supporting those people, to keep them safe.
The premier is also providing an update on the man in his 60s who died near a fire ground after he was found in his vehicle.
While his death is not directly related to the fires, the fact this death occurred in such close proximity to the fire ground means this is a community that is grieving and my thoughts are with his family and the broader community.
Allan, who says her own community has been told to evacuate, thanks those who have followed advice by emergency authorities saying that, as emergency warnings are issued, “communities did respond”.
I know how hard it is to leave your home, not knowing when or what you will return to. It has saved lives. Again, I thank Victorians for following that advice.
Key events
Kelly Burke
A letter signed by 11 prominent cultural figures has been sent to the South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskasand the Adelaide Festival board, demanding the reinstatement of Randa Abdel-Fattah to Adelaide Writers’ Week.
The board dumped the Palestinian Australian academic as a speaker on Thursday, citing “cultural sensitivity” after the Bondi attack.
The letter was drafted by Rob Brookmanwho has held almost every major leadership role at the festival across three decades, including artistic director and executive director.
The 10 co-signees, including Neil Armfield, Jo Dyer, Jim Sharman and Anthony Steelhave all previously held senior artistic or administrative positions at the festival.
The Queensland premier has described copper thieves who cut a telecommunications line in Deeragun as the state braced for a cyclone as “lowlifes”.
David Crisafulli is giving an update on conditions in Queensland’s far north, where he says the communications disruption has impacted Optus customers and NBN users.
My message to that lowlife is you have put at risk the lives of north Queenslanders in their hour of need and you can’t get a lower act.
Summarising preparations and disaster response, he says 11% of the state’s publicly owned road network has been affected by flooding. Townsville airport will be closed this afternoon from 4pm but is expected to reopen on Sunday.
He says 35 SES crews had been pre-deployed with another 21 arriving yesterday.
As we saw in reverse [to] the event early last year where crews from the north came and helped those in the south.
And it’s a big family, the emergency services and I want to thank them. But to the extra police, the fire officers, the ambulance officers, I’m most grateful for them going in and assisting and what they do is they help to bolster the numbers and on the ground you’ve got the locals who live and breathe weather conditions every day.
The premier begins to discuss communication issues in the region when his press conference suffers technical difficulties and cuts off.
Heat is Australia’s ‘silent killer’. Here are the symptoms to watch out for
Australia’s southern states are baking in the most significant heatwave since the 2019-20 black summer. Temperatures surpassing 40C have been recorded in many parts of the country, including Melbourne and Adelaide.
But experts warn that the heat people actually experience could far exceed what is forecast – because the Bureau of Meteorology measures air temperature in the shade.
“Depending on what surface you’re standing on and the radiant heat, it could be up to 10C hotter,” says Dr Kim Loothe NSW and ACT deputy chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners.
Heatwaves have been described as a “silent killer” because they do not leave the same large-scale visible scars as bushfires and floods – but extreme heat is the most common cause of weather-related hospitalisations and deaths in Australia.
What effect does extreme heat have on the body?
For more on the effects of extreme heat, read the full story by Guardian Australia’s Donna Lu:
Western Sydney swelters as temperatures rise
Temperatures in Penrith have spiked past 40C, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
It is expected Penrith will reach a max of 43C today before falling to 20C.
Caitlin Cassidy
Corryong residents urged to leave as Walwa fire burns: ‘Just a waiting game now’
While temperatures have dropped for much of Victoria, that is not the case for the northern border with New South Wales, where an out-of-control bushfire continues to burn west of Walwa.
There are seven emergency warnings in place related to the fire, with 10 communities, including Walwa, Mitta Mitta and Dartmouth urged to evacuate immediately, and 17 told to take shelter now as the bushfire approaches.
They include the township of Corryong, which was severely impacted by the 2019-20 black summer fires and was set to reach 35C on Saturday afternoon.
Corryong resident Zac Zerbst said police conducted a final door knock early on Saturday morning telling the community to leave as it had entered the ember zone.
“As of right now the skies are clear and only a very slight breeze. Just a waiting game now,” he wrote on social media.
Community bushfire recovery service, the Border Walwa Community, said in a post on social media on Saturday morning that the fires had “slashed into localities of Koetong, Shelley, Berringama and is nibbling at Bullioh and Tallangatta Valley”.
I know that a lot of residents who were unable to evacuate, nervous about driving or, in early stages, were resistant to leaving, many were provided with bus transport out of Corryong around midnight.
My heart breaks for all those that have been impacted. My heart swells with gratitude to all who are volunteering or working to fight the fire.
CFA volunteer Simon fought the fire that destroyed his own home: ‘I knew eventually it would get to us’
All that’s left of the weekend home Simon Crisp built near Longwood, 150km north of Melbourne, is the chimney and the bathtub. The rest is a pile of warped rubble and ash.
I knew that eventually the fire would get to us, because for the previous 12 hours it had been coming in our direction, creeping up.
He’s exhausted, has lost the place he loved and doesn’t know where he will stay tonight. But after patching up his fresh blisters at the Longwood command centre, the Country Fire Authority volunteer is heading back out on a fire truck to help others.
I could be here for a few days.
Crisp is one of more than 700 Victorian firefighters who battled 40 blazes on Friday, as temperatures soared as high as 46C in parts of the state and 75,000 homes lost power.
For more read the full feature by Guardian Australia’s Cait Kelly:
Carlisle River and Kennedy Creek residents told to leave immediately
A second notice has been issued that instructs residents of the Carlisle River and Kennedy Creek communities to leave immediately.
A bushfire at Carlisle River is not yet under control and travelling in a south-easterly direction between Bowen’s track and Trotter’s Track.
Residents in the area are being asked to leave immediately.
Leave now warning for Cape Otway fire between Lavers Hill and Apollo
Victorian authorities have issued a leave now emergency warning for a fire burning in Cape Otway between Lavers Hill and Apollo.
The alert particularly applies to people travelling along the Great Ocean Road in Cape Otway and the Maits Rest area.
Those in the area are advised to take action and leave immediately.
NSW Rural Fire Service watching for fires as temperatures rise
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service is watching for new fires ahead of a change expected this afternoon, the deputy commissioner, Ben Millingtonsays.
Millington, speaking to the ABC on Saturday afternoon, warned that “it will be difficult to control and contain” if a fire takes hold this afternoon when temperatures are expected to increase.
So we are asking the community to remain vigilant, heed warnings from the emergency services and we’ve certainly got a number of hours ahead of us before we see that change come through later tonight.
He said there were 46 bush and grassfires burning across NSW at present, six of which were not contained.
Total fire bans remain in place from the Hunter region, down through Sydney into the Illawarra, Shoalhaven, far south coast and over the ranges to the Central Ranges and Southern Slopes, Monaro and Alpine.
We don’t want people to be introducing new fires, so be careful of those wooden barbecues, any of those welding works that people are undertaking. We just don’t need those sort of things starting new fires under these conditions.
Dougall says evacuation centre staff are doing their best to support the community and meet their needs as they arrive – including one resident who turned up with a dingo.
We are solving lots and lots of problems as people come in. They’re not the sort of problems that you necessarily plan for, but we have managed to find solutions and just earlier today we had a person turn up with a dingo and we managed to find out how do we locate this and how do we separate that from the other pets that have been brought in. But all sorts of challenges are emerging, but we’ve been able to find solutions at this stage.
Residents at evacuation centre hungry for information, Mitchell mayor says
The mood among residents of Mitchell shire remains tense as “the threat remains real”, the mayor, John Dougallsays.
Speaking to the ABC, Dougall is overseeing the support effort at the Seymour evacuation centre and says those who have had to evacuate the fires have found a sense of “calm” at the centre – but everyone remains hungry for information.
That is the key question on people’s lips, isn’t it? You know, is my house still standing? Can I access my property? I believe that the police were about to hold a meeting with all of the community that are here at the Seymour sports and aquatic centre, which is the emergency relief centre in Seymour.
Dougall said a community meeting would be held at 5pm today with residents of Mitchell, Strathbogie and Murrindindi welcome.
This is a community that is pretty resilient. You know, we have faced disasters in the past, the floods in 2022 and, of course, in 2024. This is now 2026 and we’re facing a fire. So we understand not just the immediate scenario, the relief that is required in, you know, during the event, but also as we move into that recovery phase.
What we learned from the Victorian bushfires update
The press conference has wrapped, so just a quick summary of the key details of what was reported:
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The three people missing after their house burnt down in the Longwood fire have been found and confirmed safe.
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About 120 properties are known to have been destroyed, and that number is expected to rise.
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There are 20 fires burning across the state, 10 of them at a major fire level.
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More than 800,000 hectares of land in Victoria is now under an emergency warning.
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There are 19 active emergency warnings, with 16 watch and act notices, and several advisories.
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The premier, Jacinta Allan’s own community is one of those that were told to leave over concerns about an approaching fire front.
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The Bendigo railway line has been affected by fires, with a temporary bus service to replace trains.
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State emergency services have called for assistance from interstate and overseas over the next month.
